Here's a simple way to break it down.
As far as your characters race, most people go Caldari because of the high Perception attribute, which makes training ship chassis faster. The ability to train ship chassis fast can mean a lot later on when you want to be able to fly multiple racial shiptypes.
As for what races ships you should start on? Ask yourself the following:
What other MMOs have you played and what class do is your favorite?
If you like Rogues, the kind that do steady DPS and go nose to nose beating up the enemy with few "magic" powers, go with Minmatar ships.
If you like Necromancer types, the kind that debuff and siphon the enemies energy to enhance their own, go with Ammar ships.
If you like Wizards, not the strongest defensive abilities but MASSIVE first strike damage, go with missile spewing Caldari.
If you like pet using classes like Mages or Enchanters, go with Galente ships for their oversized drone bays and blaster bonuses. You'll want to train drones no matter what race you choose, but Galente get the best drone bays and bonuses.
If you like Rangers, go with Caldari railgun ships for their outstanding sniper range.
If you like Warriors, the kind that tank all day long, it's a toss up between Ammar and Caldari. Ammar can tank more dmg typically and they're easy tanks to master since you only have a couple of skills to worry about. If you go Caldari and train up all the necessary shield skills, Caldari shield tanks are some of the best, and the Passive Caldari Battlecruiser tanks are THE best for tanking prolonged DPS in PvP.
